Grade 7
History
Exploring Cultural Differences
Students learn about cultural similarities and differences among Aboriginal groups and
between the French and Aboriginal people in New France. They also learn about the
impact the similarities and differences had on relations among Aboriginal groups and
between Aboriginal groups and the French.
 The Ontario Curriculum: Social Studies, Grades 1 to 6; History and Geography, Grades 7 and
8, 2004
Specific Expectations
Knowledge and Understanding
 identify and explain examples of conflict and cooperation between the French and the First
Nation peoples (e.g., with respect to the fur trade, religion and culture, military
alliances/conflicts), and between the French and English fur traders (e.g., competition between
the North West Company and the Hudson’s Bay Company)
Inquiry/Research and Communication Skills
 construct and interpret a wide variety of graphs, charts, diagrams, maps, and models to
organize and interpret information (e.g., create a diagram illustrating the structure of the
government in New France)
Aboriginal Context
Aboriginal people have never been one homogeneous entity, nor have individual Aboriginal
groups ever been homogeneous within themselves. This diversity was a factor when the groups
were deciding who to align with in the early settlement period. Variables affecting these decisions
included the proximity of Aboriginal settlements to one another, the languages of Aboriginal
groups, the distances between and ways of life in Aboriginal and colonial settlements, the degree
to which Aboriginal peoples chose to convert to Christianity, and whether an Aboriginal group saw
itself as having things in common with colonial settlers and/or as benefiting from an alliance with
them.
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09-067 / ISBN 978-1-4435-0455-3 (PDF) / © Queen’s Printer for Ontario, 2009 / Une publication équivalente est disponible en français.
Related Curriculum Policy
While European immigration into the areas in which Aboriginal communities lived led to conflict,
there was also cooperation. Knowing about the cultural similarities and differences of the
participants in this historical period can help students understand why relations between them
were marked by both harmony and disharmony. This knowledge can also give students a greater
understanding of the political actions Aboriginal people have been taking recently (for example, at
Oka, Ipperwash, and Caledonia) and help balance the stereotype of the “Indian Warrior”, which
paints Aboriginal people as violent and unlawful, with today’s protesters who seek to gain political
power through peaceful protest and education.
Teaching Strategies
 Have students find and examine online images of artefacts and other objects that illustrate the
lives and cultures of French and Aboriginal people in New France.
 Have students create a Venn diagram to compare the lives and cultures of the two groups.
 Ask students what they found that was of the greatest importance to each group, listing their
responses on a chart.
Teacher prompts: What values did Aboriginal people and French settlers share? Which values
did they not share? Which differences were potential sources of conflict? Which differences
actually led to conflict? In which cases were compromises reached?
 With student input, map the locations of the Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee, Ouendat,
Tionontati, and Neutrals settlements that existed in New France in 1660.
 Have students investigate the culture, traditions, lifestyle, and spirituality of these groups.
 Have students create idea webs or mind maps to organize information about the differences
and similarities among the First Nations in New France they have researched.
 Ask students about the differences and similarities they found and discuss these as a class.
Teacher prompts: What similarities and differences did you find among the First Nations you
researched? How would the differences among them complicate their relationships with the
French?
 Have students reflect on and write a summary of the discussion.
Resources
The following recommended resources and web links were accurate at the time of publication.
Teachers are encouraged to check that these reference listings remain current.
Anishinaabemdaa: Anishinaabe. Culture. http://www.anishinaabemdaa.com/culture.htm
Contains information about the medicine wheel and the seven grandfathers’ teachings.
Canadian Museum of Civilization: Gateway to Aboriginal Heritage.
http://www.civilization.ca/cmc/exhibitions/tresors/ethno/index_e.shtml
An online exhibit of historical and contemporary objects, images, and documents of the Aboriginal
people of Canada.
The Great Peace: The Gathering of Good Minds. CD-ROM. Brantford, ON: GoodMinds.com,
1999.
Historica Minutes: Peacemaker. http://www.histori.ca/minutes/minute.do?id=10120
Video and text that tell the story of Peacemaker and the caretakers of the Great Peace, who sat
under the Tree of Peace and forged the Great Peace, an agreement among the five Iroquois
nations.
New France: New Horizons. On French Soil in America.
http://www.archivescanadafrance.org/english/accueil_en.html
An online exhibit about life in New France.
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Thomas, Jacob E. Teachings from the Longhouse. Toronto: Stoddart Publishing, 1997.
Contains the traditional teachings of the Haudenosaunee and practical advice for life today.
Making Community Connections
 Take students on a field trip to a reconstructed Aboriginal village, such as the Huron/Ouendat
Village at the Huronia Museum, Ska-Nah-Doht, the Woodland Cultural Centre, or the Lawson
Prehistoric Iroquoian Village at the Museum of Ontario Archeology.
ABOUT THE TEACHER’S TOOLKIT
This teaching strategy is one component of Aboriginal Perspectives: The Teacher’s Toolkit, a
collection of resources designed to help Ontario educators bring Aboriginal perspectives into the
classroom. Based on the revised Ontario curriculum, the collection includes resources for
educators at both the elementary and secondary levels. Other resources in this series can be
found on the ministry website, at www.edu.gov.on.ca.
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